Gnarls Barkley: St Elsewhere

Herald rating: * * * * *

Gnarls Barkley might sound like an old man with an anger problem but he's just confirmed his status as two of the most important musicians working today: Cee-Lo, the Dirty South rapper, soul singer and pop producer, who sounds like Ray Charles on some weird spiritual trip; and Danger Mouse, the hip-hop producer who specialises in skew-whiffery of the highest order.

The pair bring out the best in each other. Crazy, the genius pop hit that sat at number one for three weeks here, sounds like something the Funk Brothers would have come up with if they'd had access to computers. And it's the sanest track here.

This is an adventure for music lovers of any persuasion. As Danger cross-pollinates moody, psychedelic soundscapes with hip-hop, gospel, rock, pop and drum'n'bass, Cee-Lo slips his ragged insights over the top: "I prefer peace, wouldn't have to have one bloody possession, but essentially I'm an animal so just what do I do with all the aggression?" he intones on Just A Thought.

Their psychedelic approach makes them this year's answer to Outkast, a group that could have stayed in the underground if it wasn't for their blatant hooks and sense of humour. These guys aren't stuck up their own arses, slipping in a dotty cover of the Violent Femmes' Gone Daddy Gone; and The Last Time will likely be the oddest thing to light up the dancefloor. The year's gnarliest release.

Label: Warners